ABQrobin

yup, what he said...

Jusst got back from our 2nd Alaska cruise. #1 was in mid-June - weather sunny and nice, but less wildlife as salmon had not started run. #2 was in late Aug-early Sept and weather was rainy every day, or partly cloudy. More wildlife out, bears eating salmon, etc. Both are good but different reasons.

Belize City is not a tourist town, it is a working city. You really will be disappointed. I would highly recommend an excursion that gets you out to one of the islands or out to the jungle.

We were just there (Agu 30-Sept6 cruise) and the bears are really only out to eat the salmon during the run... we were expecting to see more than we did. There was only 1 female with cubs, and she was too far away from photos unless you had a huge telephoto lens. On the other hand, we did the bear excursion at Ketchikan for black bears and we had almost a dozen, very close up. It was my favorite excursion of the trip.

Tulum is on the Mainland so yes you must ride a ferry to get there. Tulum is a small ruin site and built at the end of the Mayan times so it is of no real significance. It is picturesque but roped off so you can't get close to anything. If you want to see really amazing ruins, do it at another port... Belize in particular has numerous fantastic ruins close enough to visit (1-2 hour bus ride each way, but they are worth it...yes, i have been to them all).

People did climb the high temple but partially from a staircase built in the back, not straight up those stairs. June - Hot and HUMID, but that is true regardless. Lamanai is pretty epic and a lot of walking but worth it.

We loved Icy Strait... but you need to do an excursion there. The whale watching is phenomenal. It is a quaint little town with residents who are Native tribal Alaskans, not Diamond International and fancy stores. Take it for what it is.

I would disagree about diving at Roatan. We find it the easiest to arrange and the diving the easiest of the area. The cruise ships used to have a contract with Anthony's Key Resort and they are fantastic. Now I think you have to book independently but there are several companies that will pick you up at the port and return you afterwards. Cozumel has incredible diving but the dive boats all tend to go out at 7:30am-8:30am timeframe as all the great dive sites are on the southern range of the island so long boat travel time. So from what we have found, you can't get to any of those better dive sites on a cruise unless you book 4-6 people privately to pay for the whole boat and have them wait for you. Love the diving there but... it is more of a hassle. The dive sites closer to the cruise ship ports are much shallower and can be good, just not epic.

Thanks, yes, scuba diving. This was several years ago and several cameras ago. LOL If you are looking to buy for scuba, it isn't cheap. The least expensive on the market right now that I would even consider is getting a GoPro10, the underwater housing, and also red filters. Then when you get home you can do some color adjustment in editing, too.

LOL,,, I don't drink anymore so that won't work for me but hubby will be fine. Thanks.

We did the excursion to Uxmal but you can also do the excursion to Chichen Itza. BOTH are the most incredible examples of the Ancient Mayan culture in our hemisphere. Either one is a fantastic choice. We have done both and they are the main reason we chose this port. here's my video from a few years ago:

I found Altun Ha okay, slightly underwhelming... expecially since I have done Lamanai, Xunantunich, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Coba, Tulum (also underwhelming).

Hubby and I were just starting to plan a cruise for late Feb-early March and then it struck me that water temps may be to cold to snorkel. We have never been there that time of year. We have been to Coz on trips March-Oct and do remember our March trip was kinda chilly. Thoughts? We wanted to do some water activities.

what we found in past years was that the sand fleas, noseeums, were not affected by regular bug spray, we used to use something sold just for them called "Cactus Juice" which was available there at stores. But from what I can see, it isn't available anymore. Don't know if they went out of business during pandemic or maybe just changed the name. It was a company in TX I think. The spray worked great, but you had to keep applying every time you got out of water, all around your lower legs, etc. It smelled lemony and was safe, unlike deet. Wish I could find it again.

Do most people just pay for the Blue Bus when they get to Juneau at the booth there at port or do they book online with Viator?

you're welcome! I did get lots of sand flea bites there and my son got zero. No idea why. I should have brought some spray to the beach, it was back in the room. From what I have been told they run in cycles so one week there are none, another week their are lots of them. No way to predict. Its mostly an ankle thing, they love your salty ankles after you get out of the water.

We have been going to Cozumel for 20 yrs, land-based trips as well as cruises.... so we have done about everything! Scuba diving in Cozumel is some of the best in the world, no kidding, so that would be #1. But after that, we would say that we have pretty much enjoyed everything. Cozumel is like a second home to us. Any type of water sports are what we would recommend... hubby and son both loved the Fury Catamaran snorkel/beach excursion, but we also really loved our cave excursion over to the Mainland (don't think any cruises do that one anymore). Hubby and I did the Original Bar Hop last visit, he loved it but I was bored (not a drinker). Our favorite restaurant downtown is La Choza, ask a taxi driver to take you there, it is not in the main tourist area.

Alaska cruises are different in the way people spend their time. Most people spend onboard time looking at the views out the windows or from the top deck as you pass through amazing mountains, fjords, with waterfalls and wildlife you can see. There is also a "Nature expert/Naturalist" onboard giving talks about what you might see on your land excursions, like whale watching tours, whale behavior, how glaciers are formed, etc. Alaska is all about the scenery and wildlife, not so much about "activities" on the ship, like a Caribbbean cruise where there is nothing to see but the ocean on Sea Days.

Bonaire is one of the top snorkeling and diving locations in the Caribbean. Water is crystal clear, very little current, zillions of fish. In fact, for fish counting purposes its considered one of the best locations in the world with the most species. So if you aren't a scuba diver, at least go snorkeling. here's one of my underwater videos to show you:

WE mostly sail out of Galveston and we see people arguing with the bartenders on embarkation day every cruise... Texas has some rule about it, drink packages don't start until next day when out of Texas port, or something like that.

Unfortunately, the Dominican Republic isn't known for its white sandy beaches. So if that is what you want, you're really out of luck. They do have beach excurisons there, but it is brown granular sand and lots of wave action in most cases. Amber Cove itself does not have a beach, it has a huge pool area though, which is free. Food and drinks there are extra.

there are dozens of restaurants right near the port.. and all of them have a menu posted outside. We have been there twice and ate at two different places.... loved the food, and mofungo, yummm.

We did Tropicante when we were there a few years ago. LOVED it. Fantastic service and food. Not a pristine beach but not nasty like some people infer.

Do an excursion that includes Stingray City and a beach stop. There are lots of them.

Be careful about this. Just asking a taxi driver to take you to some good snorkeling, etc, is likely to have to show up at some beach club run by a friend and may not have what you are looking for at all. You need to have a name of a beach club or place in your mind and tell that to the taxi driver. And ask the price. Don't let them "take you somewhere special" as it may be, like I said, just a friends beach club and they are trying to drum up business for them. Not unsafe, it just may not be what you are looking for. We have found most of the residents in Cozumel are good people who want to show off their lovely island, but some may have a financial reason to drop you off somewhere. Many of these beach clubs will pay the taxi drivers to drum up business.